A Night Unlike Any Other
by miraline
Summary: A chance encounter in a seedy bar late one night sparks the flames between two old lovers. While some things have changed completely since they parted ways, others haven't at all. R/M modern AU
1. A Night Unlike Any Other

**A Night Unlike Any Other**

A chance encounter in a seedy bar late one night sparks the flames between two old lovers. While some things have changed completely since they parted ways, others haven't at all. R/M modern AU

This is a stand-alone sequel to ' The Morning after The Night Before'

.net/s/4544549/1/The_morning_after_the_night_before

**Prologue**

Alright, so a couple of hours ago I managed to make a complete and utter fool out of myself in front of a certain someone… a girl, alright… this is a story about a girl..... (isn't it always eh?!)

Who is she you might ask?!

Let me put it like this: she's someone I had not seen for years, someone I'd been missing (longing for even) for ages without realizing it…. she is someone who is best described as an angry ex girlfriend with a nasty right hook and a possible grudge.

Got your attention now, didn't I? Don't worry I'll tell you all about it in a second or two, but let us start form the beginning. Let's start with the premises for this story …

Imagine a bar scene, imagine a smokey, dimly-lit, music-thumping atmosphere. Now add a stage, a stripper pole and a couple of scantily-clad female dancers… I could go on, but I think you're getting the picture.

Now we have the setting for this story, let's meet the lady, shall we?! Her name is Marian by the way and don't let her attitude fool you, she's a sharp girl, and she knows what she's doing. She's a real lady and as for me, ha you'll see…..

----------------------------------------------------

"Hey babe, what's the price these days?"

The question startled the young waitress. She almost tripped over her clumsy feet as she whirled around to face the owner of the deep, raspy, masculine voice that had just spoken.

"Excuse me… what can I get you?," she asked and quickly dug through the front pocket of her uniform in search for something to write on.

"The price for your time, babe. How much do you want?"

"Oh…More than you can afford!," the girl answered, her blue eyes narrowing as she gave him a once over. The bar was smoky and dimly lit and she had to strain her eyes to make out the details of the short, rather plump, auburn-haired stranger that was blocking her way. There was something condescending about the grin on his face, and he looked like he was entirely capable of being a royal pain.

"Oh, come on, loosen up! I've been watching you all night," he told her with a smug tone and placed a heavy hand on her bare shoulder.

"That must have been pretty boring." She slapped his hand away with a humorless laugh. "You see the pole up there?!," she said and pointed towards the small stage at the far end of the room. "In case you haven't noticed there is a half-naked woman dancing around that thing as we speak. Take my advice and go watch her instead of bothering me while I'm working… "

"Nah, that's not for me…. I'm more interested in a private show. If you know what I mean?!," he told the waitress and paused long enough to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at her. "How about we go some place where we can be alone?!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm flattered but I can't leave, I'm working, remember?!"

He thought for a moment. "But you're allowed to take bathroom breaks, aren't you?! Come on, I'll walk you to the restrooms," he suggested and quickly grabbed a hold of her arm and started pulling her (not-so-gently) towards the staircase that lead down to the first floor.

"Wait, hold up!, " the girl protested, franticly scanning the bar in search for someone or something to come to her rescue. Kicking and screaming was out of question, this man out-weighed her by at least 50lbs or so… and besides it was common knowledge that girls that caused scenes never stayed long on the payroll…

Forcing a smile in his direction she batted her eyelashes at him. "No need for this to get ugly. I'm sure we can work something out!"

"I knew you would come around, sweetheart…I promise I'll make it worth your time!, " he chuckled with delight and released his hold on her arm somewhat.

"Okay fine, hot stuff. You got yourself a deal. It's £15 for a lapdance, add another 30 and I'll throw in a handjob, anything else is out of question. My clothes stay on the whole time and I pick the place," the young girl quickly rattled off and nervously glanced over her shoulder as she began steering them towards an empty booth in a remote corner of the bar.

It was a Friday night and the place was fairly crowded but with the big show still only half-way through, all attention was focused on the girls parading on the main stage. The music was pounding louder than ever and the back of the room was dark and more or less deserted. But at least bringing him there was a better (not to mention safer) option than taking it to a bathroom stall or even worse, a car parked somewhere outside…

"Let's get comfortable!," the young girl suggested and lowered her voice to a husky purr as she slowly backed him up against a table.

"What, wait! You want to get busy right HERE?," the man gulped in surprise as the girl began to unbuckle his belt.

"Aw, come on, stud!," she smiled, alluringly, as she whipped his belt out of his belt-loops. "You're not shy, are you?"

"Me, shy? Never!!!" He threw back his head and laughed, his Adam's apple bobbing wildly.

"Good, then you won't mind if I do this…" With the speed of a striking cobra she yanked his pants down around his ankles and kneed him in the groin as hard as she could.

The man gave one startled groan of pain and collapsed on the floor at her feet.

"I may work in a strip club but there are still things in this world that no money can buy!," she told him between clenched teeth before she swirled around and took off as fast as her high heels and tight skirt would allow.

She scolded herself for not seeing this coming. She should have known better. She had been warned, after all. She knew there was a group of eight, maybe ten, men seated in a booth near the slot machines and the black jack tables that had been following the latest events with great interest. They seemed harmless, card-carrying members of the loud, drunk and obnoxious, but mostly harmless. Never the less the young girl knew they needed to be set straight. Tilting her chin stubbornly, she forced herself to stay calm as she quickly approached their table.

"I believe that sleazy friend of yours just lost a bet. Make sure he pays because what you saw out there might very well have cost me my job, but you know what?! It was worth it," she told them in a voice colder than stone.

Her words were met with snickers and a couple of raised eyebrows. One or two even had the decency to look a little shame-faced, but no one met her eyes and no one spoke...

Finally one of them cleared his throat. "Marian, are you okay? We did not mean to get you into any kind of trouble."

The correct use of her name, the slight accent, the sound of his voice… it caught her off guard… Her eyes widen with recognition as they landed on the familiar face of the man she had once considered the love of her life.

"YOU! I should have known!!! Why am I even surprised?! I bet you're enjoying this, you sick fucking bastard, " the girl practically exploded in anger.

Some things never change… She always did have an explosive personality… The shouting of insults and obscenities went on for a minute or two before the bar manager showed up and escorted the girl away from the table, but if you think the story ends here you're mistaken because this is only the beginning….

Oh, and in case you haven't guessed it yet, the 'fucking bastard' (as the lady so eloquently put it) is me, Robin Locksley. Nice to meet you…


	2. Hi There Stranger Do You Remember

**-Hi There Stranger Do You Remember…-**

_Same bar, same crowd, half an hour earlier…._

_Robin's P.O.V_

Something about her caught my attention from the very moment she entered the room…. Probably her outfit (or lack thereof) - A short black waitress uniform, complete with apron, leather collar, six inch heels and nametag that read 'maiden magic.

With her dark hair and fair complexion she reminded me of a gothic angel, melancholic and dark but beautiful all the same. … Actually she looked nothing like the way I remembered her. In fact I didn't even recognize her at first. But then it dawned on me and I had one of those 'Oh, my GAWD!' moments… You know with flashing light bulbs, bulging eyes and jaw drop.

It was her… Marian… It had to be her. The longer I stared at her the more convinced I became. Even with her back turned toward me, I knew…. Her appearance may have changed but her body language and the way she carried herself was still the same. And then there was the fact that I was so aware of her presence, as if my senses were magnified about a zillion times over. Oh yeah…it was definitely her.

She hadn't acknowledged my presence yet but that didn't come as a surprise…Last time we spoke wasn't under the most friendly of circumstances. We had one of those relationships that seemed to thrive on tension and turmoil – we kept pushing each other's buttons, even when we knew they were the "wrong" ones to push. During the short period of time we dated I learned many new things about life and about myself. Some of them were not things I WANTED to learn, but perhaps NEEDED to learn. It scared me… she scared me… She brought out a part of me that I would rather have stayed dormant… and so I did the only thing I could think of, I pushed her away and that was the end of it…

…or should have been the end of it….

Truth be told I had often wondered what I would say or do if I ever saw her again, but never in my wildest dreams had I imagined it happening like this -a chance encounter in an "adult" club with exotic dancers...

The Marian I once knew would rather walk barefoot on lava than be caught dead in a place like this. Still there she was, right in front of me, waiting tables in a skimpy outfit, strutting her stuff like a pro. But then again, I was there too wasn't I!? Worse than that, I was a paying customer…. (pathetic much?!)

Just so you know, it was not the nightlife that brought me back to this town. Believe it or not, this was originally a well-planned business trip. I'm currently traveling the length and breadth of the country giving seminars in martial arts to military personnel and police. I had people to meet, hands to shake and sponsors to keep happy but somewhere along the line I still somehow managed to end up in this bar, at this bachelor party…

A buddy of mine was in the process of getting married. Never one to turn down a good party I managed to get myself invited to the wedding. Ha, no it's not as bad as it sounds. Carter (the soon-to-be groom) and I go way back. He served with me on an UN peacekeeping mission in the middle east last year but we have known each other since we were kids. He used to be an athlete, just like me. Archery was our primary discipline and we were fierce competitors for many years. We were neck to neck on wins, titles and sponsorship deals until Carter bowed out to pursuit an academic career...

He's a third year law student these days and has done pretty well for himself. His fiancée Paula can only be described as super nice. No doubt they'll be deliriously happy….

Anyway with the wedding date fast approaching, the plan for the weekend was to help Carter celebrate his last days as a single man…hence the topless bar scene…. The spirit was high and the stag night quickly progressed into a haze of booze, strippers and exaggerated storytelling about life in general, and girls in particular (male bonding in other words).

Sounds innocent enough, right? Well, this is where I made the first mistake of the evening. You see, my obvious interest in one of the waitresses had not gone by unnoticed. Someone pointed it out and I made the blunder of letting a blush creep upon my face.

I tried to shrug it off at first, but after a while… let's just say I made a few remarks that maybe I should have kept to myself. I know, I know, a gentleman never tells, but then again I'm pretty sure a gentleman never visits a bar like this in the first place so… uhm yeah… After that all kinds of comments, insinuations and blunt jokes on my expense were fair game.

Apparently some of the girls at this club were known for offering more than just lap-dances. And even though I insisted that this girl, Marian, wasn't one of them, things quickly got out of hand.

Carter's cousin David took care of the details and swiftly organized a betting pool. And Steve (the best man) who was known for never turning down a dare made it his personal mission to prove me wrong. Not my idea of a good time but my opinion was outnumbered, seven to four.

That's pretty much how the bet came about. What neither of us knew at the time was that someone overheard us talking and that the girl was warned in advance… The rest is -as they say - history….

-------------------


	3. You push, I'll steer

**You push, I'll steer**

_the parking lot some 15_ _minutes later_

_Now that you know the truth about the mess I'm in lets move on to the part where I try to make amends… _

I caught up with Marian on the parking lot outside the club just in time to see her slide in behind the wheel of an old rusty Fiat Ritmo. I called out her name and hurried my steps but she didn't seem too interested in talking to me. Let's put it this way, if looks could kill would have dropped like a stone under her angry glare. …. *ouch!*… The car door was slammed in my face before I had a chance to say or do anything… *sigh* So much for trying to apologize…

For a moment there I seriously contemplated stepping out in front of the car to prevent her from leaving, but in the end I decided against it. Mainly because I had a feeling it wouldn't have slowed her down one single bit. I knew from experience that getting in her way could result in serious injury.

Fortunately, though, luck was on my side. I heard her turn the key in the ignition once, twice, three times…. But nothing happened. The engine didn't even turn over. No spark. No grumble. No nothing. I know you shouldn't laugh at the misfortune of others but... this was just too funny.

A string of obscenities followed Marian as she got out to open the hood. " Fucking piece of shit car," she kicked on the front bumper with such force that one of her 4 inch stiletto pumps came flying off her foot. It somersaulted through the air like a deadly missile and landed heel-first in the mud dangerously close to where I was standing.

She made a slight forward motion as if to pick it up but I beat her to it. Bending down I reached for the shoe one millisecond before her. Our hands collided along with our heads**.** Both yelped, winced and stumbled backwards.

"Ouch! Give me that!" She growled, snatching her shoe out of my hand. "What are you doing out here anyway. Shouldn't you be celebrating with your buddies right now, or did you put your money on the wrong horse… "

"Ha, very funny, but you're wrong, I had no part in that silly bet… Look, I came out here to apologize but you're just not going to make it easy for me, are you?".

Marian looked at me grimly. "Did you expect me to?"

I sighed. "No, but Marian, honey, you-"

Her eyes blazed, and she snapped, "Don't honey me honey… You show up after more than a year without as much as a "Hey there, remember me, your douchebag of an ex boyfriend" Or "Hiya stranger… looking god… how's life treating you?… And you expect me to be all polite and chummy with you…. Think again Mister!"

"Okay fine, you're right. I messed up and you have every reason to be mad at me. I'm really sorry about what happened back there. I knew what was going on and I should have put a stop to it, but to tell you the truth I was curious about how you would handle the situation… "

" Great… you were curious… Oh, well I guess that makes it alright then," she taunted, sarcasm evident in her voice.

"Okay, okay, that's a lame excuse…. Look, I know you and I know that you are very much capable of taking care of yourself… So I didn't interfere, figuring you'd teach them a lesson… which you did I might add."

"It was well deserved!" Her eyes danced for a moment but the rest of her face remained solemn.

"I agree. That guy you kneed back there, Steve, took it a bit too far. He was supposed to hit on you and insinuate that he'd pay you for your time and the bet was about whether or not you would shoot him down. But the way he grabbed onto your arm and tried to force himself on you was not cool. That should have been my cue to step in and put a stop to things. But I didn't, and for that I am truly sorry. It was a mistake on my part. Okay, there I said it, I made a MISTAKE… Happy now!?"

"Holy cow, alert the media! Mr Big Shot isn't perfect after all."

"And I never clamed to be. I'm only human, and so are you my dear So, get off your high horses and accept my apology. We haven't seen each other in a long, looong time and I just want us to get along you know, as friends or whatever " I explained with crushing sincerity.

"You and I were never friends but okay you're off the hook for now anyway. But only because I need your help to get that shitty car of mine rolling again."

"Ha, good luck with that one! My interest in cars is limited to knowing which way it's going by looking at the headlights."

"I don't need a mechanic, just someone with a little muscles. Come on big guy, you push, I'll steer"


	4. A can of worms

-A can of worms-

Like anytrue gentleman I had offered my assistance, in any way I could. Now, as I stood there, some fifteen minutes later, with sweat on my brow and dirt under my fingernails, I began to regret my incredibly chivalrous act.

Who would have guessed such a small car could cause so much trouble. Apparently Marian had left the radio on all night and now the battery was dead. Like totally, zero volts. We couldn't jump- start it because we had no jumper cables. And bump-starting it turned out to be nearly impossible. Rolling the car out of the parking lot was the easy part but pushing it over the cobbled ramp at the end of the driveway proved more difficult. So, after much huffing, puffing, and swearing we gave up and maneuvered the car back to the parking zone again.

I did offer to drive her home in my rental, an offer she wasn't too keen on accepting. She had me walking on a line, touching my finger to my nose before she somewhat reluctantly agreed to take a seat in my car.

……………………………….

"So this is where you live these days, huh? I asked as we pulled to a stop in front of a dirty, run down apartment complex.

Marian nodded but didn't say anything. In fact, she hadn't said anything for the last five minutes or so. The atmosphere in the car was tense to say the least and even if the drive had been short, it felt like it had lasted an eternity.

"Come on, I'm curious, help me out here … Which apartment is yours? How long have you lived here? Whatever happened to your old place in Knighton?" I fired my questions at her like a tennis ball machine stuck on overdrive, hoping to somehow lure her into talking. I don't know why I even bothered. Trying to get answers from her was like pulling teeth.

"Geez, enough with the small talk already! You're giving me a headache," she snapped and we both stared at each other for a moment

Shrugging my shoulders I threw my hands up in defeat. "Sorry, I was just trying to make conversation."

"Make it with someone else, I'm leaving!"

The car hadn't even stopped rolling yet but her hand was already resting on the door handle. It appeared as if she couldn't get away from me fast enough.

"Wait, at least let me walk you to your door...," I pleaded with her as I turned off the engine and pulled the key out of the ignition.

"Look Robin, you don't take hints very well, do you?! I'm not going to invite you inside if that's what you're fishing for…. I mean, I appreciate the ride and all but this is where it ends, okay?!," she trailed off and slid out of the passenger seat.

"Hey now, don't be that way. It's the middle of the night for heaven sake. I just want to make sure you get home all right," I shouted after her disappearing back as I locked the car and hurried to catch up with her.

---------------------------

"No offence, but I have to say I liked your old neighborhood better." I told her a few minutes later, as we carefully navigated around the piles of broken glass in the hallway on the fourth floor of the big dull gray apartment building she apparently called her home.

"It's not like I had a choice. This is all I can afford. In case you haven't figured it out yet I'm little low on cash at the moment….," she informed me with a small grimace.

"I see… So that's why you work extra in that bar, huh?!"

"Brilliant deduction Sherlock!"

"What about that photo studio? I mean you still have a steady income, right?," I asked, approaching the subject carefully. I had a mountain of questions that I wanted to ask but I didn't quite know how to word them. The last thing I wanted was to start another fight.

"Actually, no… It turned out I'm more of an artist than a businesswoman, I wasn't breaking even so I sold the studio and some of my camera equipment… It's not as bad as it sounds though. The new owner hired me as his photo assistant. But it's only part time and I still have debts to pay off so…."

"Debts? What kind of debts? "

"Loans, mortgage, unpaid hospital bills… You remember my sister, right?! Well, she was sick for a very long time before she… you know…," her voice trembled slightly and she paused to take in a steady breath before she continued. "Dad and I used our last savings to pay for her funeral…"

"Ooh, right… I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm sorry…" unable to meet her eyes, I silently cursed myself for being both insensitive and pushy. My worries were soon put to rest though as Marian seemed more annoyed than sad... or hysterical… or anything else….

"No need to walk on eggshells. Besides you didn't bring it up; I did," she pointed out with a calm resolute voice as she unloked the door to her apartment.

"Alright, but why didn't you turn to me? If you needed help with money, I mean… I know I wasn't around for the funeral but we were still on speaking terms back then. I could have helped you… I still can…"

"Reality check, Robin! I did come looking for you around that time, remember?! I sold my TV to pay for the plane ticket only to find you in the middle of combat training, mere weeks away from being shipped out to a warzone…. a WARZONE!"

"I know where you're going with this. Let's not rehash it. You never approved of my decision and in hindsight I would have done things differently. I should have told you sooner. I wanted to but -…"

"…but what?! Don't tell me there was no time to tell me. You had known about it for weeks, moths even. Your belongings were packed away in storage, your apartment out for rent, your car… You had all the details taken care of down to finding a f*cking babysitter for your precious car…."

I flinched, surprised by how bitter she sounded. This was an argument Idid not want to get into right there and then. I could tell Marian felt the same because before I knew it she slammed the door in my face.

Oh well, it couldn't be helped. When you open a can of worms, you can't expect finding sweet smelling flowers inside.


	5. Straightforward

AN:This story is coming along just fine and I am enjoying writing it. There will be a little more background information in the next two chapters and then after that some romance of course =)  
Thanks for the rewievs so far!

**-Straightforward-**

Okay, so Marian kicked me out… so to speak… Not that I was ever invited inside her apartment in the first place but you know what I mean…. Women are so fu*king complicated. It's almost pointless to try to figure out what goes on in their minds sometimes. Nothing is ever simple and straightforward.... Standing in the hallway and shouting through a closed door was a little on the ridiculous side, so I gave up and headed back to my car.

The stairway was dark and empty or so I thought until I ran smack into something -or rather someone- a very scary looking old lady armed with a pink umbrella. She wore robe, slippers and hair curlers**, **she was short as a child and her arms were thin as sticks and judging by her silver gray hair and her wrinkled complexion I would guess she was about the same age as my grandmother. Turned out she was the landlady. Turned out she took her responsibilities very seriously…

Poking me in the ribs with her umbrella she muttered something about me waking up the whole building and the youth today having no respect for the elders…

Being the well-mannered lad I am, I immediately started apologizing but I was interrupted by an impatient wave of her hand.

"How well do you know Ms Fizzy," she asked glaring at me over her glasses.

"Who?"

"Fourth floor, black hair, black clothes, black everything.... "

"Oh, you mean Marian Fitzwalter. She's a friend of mine…" I explained a small smile escaping my lips.

The old lady shook her head disapprovingly. "A FRIEND you say, is that what you call girls like her these days?"

"Don't let her looks scare you, she's normally really sweet and caring, as long as you stay on her good side."

She watched me closely for several moments as if trying to determine if I was mocking her or not. "You seem like a nice young man," she finally decided and lowering her umbrella."If I were you I'd stay away from that young girl though. She's a bad seed I tell ya… A bad seed that will come to no good! " The old lady informed me in a dead serious tone.

"Are you sure you're not exaggerating just a teensy, weensy bit now?!" I chuckled and gave up trying to keep a straight face. The whole situation was pretty comical… pink umbrella and all… "The Marian I know is a wildlife photographer, a green peace activist, daughter of retired police officer…"

"No, I know what I'm talking about. That bar she works in…" the old woman pursed her lips in a disapproving manner. "It's no place for a young girl, makes one wonder what exactly it is that she does for a living. I can't have that in my building. I've already had the police come pick her up twice."

"Her father is a retired police officer," I repeated numbly, feeling the confusion and questions starting to cloud my mind.

"And her mother is a saint, I'm sure." the old lady continued. "I should call social services on her, that's what I should do."

I knew better then to listen to nosy neighbours and their vicious rumours… but still… I couldn't help but feel uneasy about the way this conversation was going.

Nothing in life is ever simple and straightforward I'm beginning to see that now…


	6. Back to square one

AN: _Ok, as promised, some __more backstory_...

**-Back to square one-**

TO: "Much". d0nuts07(at)yahoo(dot)com  
FROM: "R. Locksley", sherwoodsfinest(at)msn(dot)com  
SUBJECT: RE: SCREENING YOUR PHONE CALLS NOW, EH?!  
March 3

Sry, what can I say, it's been a crazy night!

You'll never guess who I just ran in to?!  
Marian. You remember her right. That crazy photographer I used to date.

How come every woman I date turn out to be crazy one way or another?! but maybe that says more about my taste in women than it does about the female population.

All I'm looking for is a sane available girl, is that too much to ask for?!

Disclaimer: I love women. Each personality quirk is what makes them unique.

Anyway back to Marian… One might say she has had quite the career change since I last saw her. I told you about our plans for Carter's stag night, didn't I? Well, guess what?! Marian was there, at the club, working as a waitress.

Turns out she is still mad at me for not telling her I was gearing up to be shipped out. Actually mad doesn't even begin to cover it… bitchy and irrational is more like it. She never did approve, you know… It doesn't matter how many times I tell her it was a peace mission, not a combat one.

Oh well, let's just say our little chat tonight only served to stir things up again…there's more but I rather tell you about it over the phone. I'll call you first thing in the morning…

/Robin

.............................................

TO: "R. Locksley", sherwoodsfinest(at)msn(dot)com  
FROM: "Much", d0nuts07(at)yahoo(dot)com  
SUBJECT: RE: RE: SCREENING YOUR PHONE CALLS NOW, EH?!  
March 4

Ah HA, I knew it! I remember Lady M, alright.... I always suspected she was the real reason you were in such a hurry to see the middle east. You couldn't leave the country fast enough. Of course you kept insisting it was all about honor and duty. Remind me again how you're the sane and rational one…

Anyways, does she know you were flown home in an ambulance plane after nearly being blown to pieces out on a minefield?! I'm sure she'll be thrilled when she hears about that one… girls are funny like that…

…and you better call me, or I'll stop watering your plants and hold your Wii ransom.

/M

..................................

** A few restless hours later**

I was back at her apartment by the crack of dawn, with a head crammed full to bursting point with questions. Marian answered the door on the fourth knock, having obviously been asleep. She was wearing some sort of nightgown the style of a shirt and her hair was pointing in all directions.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, nervously tugging her shirt down as low as she could get it, which wasn't enough to even reach mid-thigh.

"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry…… Here have some coffee, you look like you could need it, " I suggested, handing her the ultimate peace offer, breakfast in a paper bag from Starbucks.

She snatched it right out of my hand and gripped one of the steaming cups like it was the only thing keeping her from flying to pieces. She took a deep sip of the hot liquid and reluctantly let me step into her kitchen.

"Let's try this again. What are you doing here? It's quarter past 8 in the morning…. I'm not a morning person, I think you know that….. Besides I'm pretty sure I asked you to stay away from me."

"I needed to get a hold of you before you left for work. It's about your car." I informed her casually and took a seat by the kitchen table.

"My car, what about it?"

"I'm going to fix it for you."

"Ooookay, and when you say you're going to fix it, you mean pay someone to fix it, right?! I'm not a charity case. I don't need your money. I thought I made that clear the last time we spoke."

"Crystal clear. Look, it just so happens that I have found someone who is willing to do the repair for free. One of the guys from last night's bachelor party owns a garage in the area. So if you let me have the key I'll make sure you have your car back and running by nighttime. "

"And what if I don't want your help!?"

"Then you are just plain stupid. This will save you a lot of money, time and trouble. It's too good of a deal to pass up on and you know it."

"Ugh .. okay fine you're right," she wrinkled her nose, "I hate it when you're right."

"There you go... Good girl... that wasn't too hard now was it?? I mocked her and ducked just in time to avoid being swatted in the head by a pouting Marian.

"Shut up!" she whined and stuck her tongue out at me.

"There's so much love inside you, honey," I said teasingly.

"Bite me."

"Been there, done that….. and I treasure those memories quite fondly."

"What was that, I couldn't hear you?"

"Nothing. Not a thing."

-----------------------------

Gallons of coffee were gulped down along with some breakfast bagels and a couple of chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins for dessert.

We ate in silence. It wasn't a completely comfortable silence, but it wasn't hostile, which I guess, was about as good as it got between us these days...

"Perky morning people should be shot, but you know what I'm willing to make an exception in this case because this was the best meal I have had in quite some time," she told me as she finished her last cup of coffee.

"Anything for you my lady. On a more serious note though, I had a little run in with one of your neighbors earlier and she asked me to relay a message to you."

"Oh, what message and who exactly did you talk to? "

"I don't know her name but I think she is your landlady."

"Mrs Carlsson, that old hag… I don't think she likes me much."

"I figured that much. She said that if you want that bathroom fan fixed you should do it yourself and if the rent isn't paid by the 7th she'll assume that you intend to move out."

"Oh, lovely. Did she tell you about the time she called the cops on me for a noise complaint."

"She did mentioned that, yes. Only she said it was because your apartment smelled like a meth lab and posed a potential danger to all children in the area."

"Yeah, well they didn't find anything obviously, so the noise complaint was the only thing that stuck."

"I'm guessing that rehab stint she claimed you went on isn't true either… " I said with a wry chuckle.

Marian didn't laugh. "Rehab? That's a new one. Whatever gave her that idea?!," she said in a calm voice.

"Uhm... Well apparently, you were gone for a couple of months or something and in that old woman's twisted mind a disappearance act like that could only mean that you either went to prison or rehab…"

"Oh… " she said quietly. "Try hospitalized… "

"What?!"

"The reason I was gone was because I had a bit of a breakdown. Nothing too serious, I mean I didn't go nuts or anything."

"W- whoa… er…What?!" I suddenly felt winded, unable to think. This was unexpected to say the least…

"Look, forget I said anything… This isn't something I feel comfortable talking about. I haven't been anywhere near a rehab facility or a prison. The only drugs I take are anti-depressives. That's all you need to know for now so can we please drop this subject…"

"You were the one that brought it up in the first place."

"Whatever," Marian muttered.

"No, not whatever. If you level with me, I might be able to help you… Is this about what happened to your sister? "

"Yeah, sort of … A combination of things really. Uhm, I think the correct term is acute depression. All I know is that I had panic attacks and lots of them. I spent about a week in hospital and then I went to live with some friends for a while until I was ready to get back on my feet again. I sought help and now I'm doing much better, so can we drop this now? Please…"

"I only have one more question,"" There is this one thing I just can't seem to wrap my brain around. Why would your landlady threaten to send the social services after you? That would only make sense if you had a minor living here with you."

"Didn't you hear I'm running an illegal daycare center out of your living room," she replied without missing a beat. "Actually, all joking put aside, social services sometimes acts as a referral service for mental health services."

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. "Alright, that explains it. I was thinking that… well.. eh.. how maybe you had a child you never told me about. It sounds ridiculous but Mrs. Carlsson said…" I trailed off without finishing the sentence. Even I heard how lame of an argument that was.

"Not the most reliable source. I thought we agreed on that one. "

She had a point there.…

"Aaah but see there is a pacifier on your kitchen floor and that chair over there by the cabinets looks suspiciously much like a booster seat to me and what about that picture on your refrigerator…. I think that my question was justified. "

She rose to her feet and walked over to the fridge. "Robin, meet baby Alexander," she said, removing the magnet and handing me the photo I had been pointing at. "You remember my friend Annie, right?! She has a baby now and they visit a lot and that's why I have all this baby junk here…"

"So, the child isn't yours, you just borrows him occasionally?"

"Right, I baby-sit to make ends meet means," she nodded.

Was it just my imagination or did she look a little uncomfortable?! She was definitely avoiding my eyes, that's for sure. How come I have a feeling that I am missing something??? Geez, the more I scratch at the surface of this, the bigger it gets…..


	7. Interference

AN:Well, here we go... took longer than i'd planned but here's another chapter. The whole pesky real life thing got in the way for a while, but I do have the rest of the story all planned out in my head, so hopefully it's going to come fairly quickly. from now on...

Now, back to the drama and humor ;)

**Interference**

TO: "Much", sherwoodsfinest(at)yahoo(dot)com  
FROM: "R. Locksley", sherwoodsfinest(at)msn(dot)com  
SUBJECT: RE: RE: SCREENING YOUR PHONE CALLS NOW, EH?!  
March 5

I have developed my own non-scientific, totally subjective scale on how to rate the craziness of women.

If a woman names her plants, that is worth 1 point. If she gives them middle and last names, then that is 5 points. If she gives them the above, but then gives them nicknames...well...make that 15 points.

If she has had a tattoo of her ex-boyfriend's name removed, then that is worth 5 points. If this has happened more than once, then make it 10 points. If she has had the same boyfriend's name removed then added back then removed...well...make that 50 points. And stay away from the tattoo parlor.

If she asks you if you think she is fat or looks fat in that outfit, then that is 1 point for thinking that you would actually answer that honestly. If you do answer it honestly, then she is not the crazy one, you are...

I know, I know, stop rambling already….

I'm sorry I cut our phone call short. I lost my temper, my bad… I should have listened to your advice. You were right, confronting her only made things worse. You should not ask questions you're not prepared to hear the answer to. And to make things worse I think I still have feelings for her.

Maybe I'm the insane one…

No wait, don't answer that… I already know your opinion.

I'm sorry I'm such a pain in the ass.

/Robin

_Later that day_

Closing the door behind me I casually stepped inside the small photo studio that also served as a print shop. Before I could enter the actual studio, I had to pass through a foyer filled with racks of different photographic equipment, printer supplies, storage media and other assorted tecno-gadgets. It all seemed to be of top quality, I noted as I walked up the cash register.

I was alone in the room, there was no one in sight, but there was a bell on the counter to ring for service. I was just about to use it when murmurs of conversation caught my attention.

Leaning over the counter, I managed to catch a glimpse of two shadowy figures moving around somewhere in the inner regions of the studio. One shape was unmistakable – I would know it anywhere… It was Marian... I could hear her laughing quietly at something her companion had just said… her dark haired, well built, sharp looking male companion… Their heads were bent together and his arm was resting casually around her shoulder. Nauseatingly sweet…Ugh….

My chest tightened as a million thoughts rushed through my mind in a split second only to coalesce into a single emotion, jealousy. Who was he? A co-worker? A potential love interest? Boyfriend?… I sure as hell didn't want to stick around to find out the answer to that one... But of course things didn't go exactly according to my plans. In my hurry to sneak out of there unnoticed I accidentally collided with a shelf filled with photo frames in various shapes and sizes. The crash was so abrupt and loud that it could have woken the dead.

I spent the next couple of minutes rambling apologies while blushing furiously. Marian was not too pleased with the mess I had made as you can imagine but her male companion seemed to be highly amused by the whole situation.

"Hi, I'm Allan," he grinned wryly and offered his hand to help me to my feet. " I don't think we've met, but I have hea-…."

"..heard a lot of things about me. I bet you have. Look, don't believe every thing you hear." I muttered feeling about as uncomfortable and out of place as a vegetarian in a steakhouse.

"Oh and I'm sorry about interrupting… uhm… whatever it was you were doing…"

"It's okay, don't sweat it. We were just looking at pictures…. Engagement pictures of me and my fiancée, Annie. Here take a look, Marian developed them for us," he said and handed me a bunch of contact sheets.

" Oh…." My eyes widened as realization dawned on me. "…so this girl, Annie, is your… oooh… I mean congratulations! " I could feel another blush creep up my cheeks but fortunately though a sudden noise saved me from further embarrassment. A shrill cry of a baby echoed through the room and all our attention turned to the baby carrier half-hidden on floor in the small storage area behind the counter.

"Do you want me to go check on him for you Allan?" Marian asked her friend in a somewhat hesitant voice.

"Huh??," was all the reply she got.

"There is a baby crying, YOUR baby. I think he might need some attention."

"Oooh, MY baby, right… sorry, " he said with a sheepish smile "Go ahead if you want to…."

"Men, they can be so slow sometimes," she muttered under her breath as she took off to tend to the unhappy infant.

………………………………………………………………………….

The moment Marian was out of hearing distance Allan's voice went from a friendly to dead serious.

"Is there a reason why you are here or are you just out to cause trouble?" he asked with a stern look on his face. Gone was the polite tone of conversation.

"Erm… I came to return her car." I replied, absentmindedly taking in the sigh of Marian and the cherub looking, rosy cheeked child in her arms.

"No, I meant "here" as in back in town…as in back in her life… Because if you ever hurt her again like you did the last time around, I'll personally hunt you down, cut off your testicles, and force-feed them to you. You hear me?!"

"Loud and clear!" I assured him with a dry little laugh. "Look, I know she isn't exactly thrilled about having me around. You can trust me though, when I say I only have her best interest in mind. There a few unresolved issues between us and I think we both could need some closure."

"Okay, fine, you may have a point there. " he admitted after a lengthy pause. "But my threat still stands so be careful with her, alright?!"

"I will."

"Are you two talking about me behind my back?" Marian asked a few minutes later as she poked her head through the doorway, the baby still resting in her arms.

"Of course we are!" Allan informed her with a chuckle. " In fact Robin was just asking for my advice on how to convince you to go out on a date with him tonight."

"What?! You better be joking! Been there, done that and boy, do I know better than to repeat that mistake…" She hissed as she carefully put little Alex back down in the carrier again and tucked him in with his baby blanket.

"I took care of your car didn't I?! I think you owe it to me to at least hear me out here... I was thinking a movie and dinner… But we don't have to make a big deal out of it. I just want to spend some time with you.. What do you say?" I pleaded, suddenly feeling shy as a schoolboy all over again.

"You must be nuts if you think I'll agree to this!" She said turning directly to me. "Besides I can't, I have to work tonight."

"No you don't, I know your schedule, " Allan chipped in. "Come on when was the last time you were on a date?!"

Throwing a murdering glance at her friend, she shook her head and sighed in defeat. " Why do I feel like the two of you are ganging up on me?"

"Because we are," We both answered at the same time.


	8. the date

Edited 090225

AN: I reread the chapter and edited a few words here and there, nothing major though. I'm not trying to make a political statement with this chapter, just a reflective one...

**-The Date-**

TO: "R. Locksley", sherwoodsfinest(at)msn(dot)com

FROM: "Much", d0nuts07(at)yahoo(dot)com

SUBJECT: NOT INSANE BUT YOU DEFINITELY HAVE SOME QUIRKS

March 5

You better be serous this time. Sounds like she's been through a lot. Girlfriends don't come with like a leasing plan. Keep 'em for six months then return 'em for a newer, sportier model.

/M

...................................

TO: "Much", d0nuts078(at)yahoo(dot)com

FROM: "R. Locksley" ,sherwoodsfinest(at)msn(dot)com

SUBJECT: WHO ME?!

March 5

Geez tanx for the vote of confidence…

I'm signing off now, I have a hot date tonight.

I'll tell you more about it later….

/Robin

.......................... ................................

"Have you made up your mind?!" I asked as I flopped down next to Marian on the edge of the bed.

"Yep, " she nodded scanning the room service menu one final time, her finger moving from one to another of the listed beverages. "I'll have the chicken and pasta, a small Caesar salad, and a beer. Good thing you are paying because I can't even afford a bottle of water from this place… Next time we'll go to McDonalds, my treat …"

"Sounds like a plan to me," I agreed and reached for the phone to order our food.

The date had gone better then I had hoped. Well okay it wasn't much of a date really, but hey at least we were spending time together without arguing (too much)… Our original movie plans had been scrapped because we couldn't agree on a film we both wanted to see, so instead we spent a good three hours at the local bowling alley. It wasn't my idea of a good time but Marian seemed to enjoy it...

We played four games and I lost all four, but the computer cheated! It gave Marian spares and strikes when they really didn't get them! Stupid cheating computer… Afterwards, we went to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner, but there was over an hour wait, so in the end we ended up in my hotel room ordering ridiculously-overpriced room service grub.

So now thirty minutes later we were both seated in the middle of the huge king sized bed, eating our food and watching pay-per-view soft porn. Yes, you heard right… 'Sexual Perversity in Chicago'. Geez, I should have known better than to leave her in charge of the remote control….

"Aww, come on Robin you said no chick flick and I rather watch this than some silly action movie filled with nothing but senseless violence. At least this one has a plot that actually leads somewhere...." Marian giggled when a flash of male nudity came on the screen. "Stop complaining, you're a guy, you're supposed to like 'adult material' like this..." The last sentence was bitten out with sarcasm and a making of air quotes with her fingers.

I took another bit of my sandwich and chewed thoughtfully for a second before answering, "Oh, I like it alright… at home, in my own privacy… but hotel porn… that's just tacky."

"Ah, I see, and visiting a strip club isn't?!"

"I never said that!"

"Imagine the headlines 'Military adviser and former elite athlete found in compromising position with local strip club employee…'

"…with a two_-_pages spread about porn marathons and drunken sex orgies."

Marian rolled her eyes and took a sip of her beer. "You're nuts."

"That's one thing we have in common then because so are you my dear..."

"Ha, ha very funny! For your information this hardly qualifies as porn. They are not even naked. It's probably not even X-rated," she teased and slid off the bed to toss her empty food containers into the trash can.

"Aren't you just a smartass tonight?"

"Better than being a dumbass," she chirped, returning to the bed.

Rolling over onto her stomach she propped her chin up with both hands. "So… now what?"

I peeled my sneakers off and mocked her position. "I don't know, anything particular you want to talk about?"

"No, not really..." She looked at me thoughtfully but stayed quiet.

I waited for an uncomfortably long time before I broke the silence. "Go ahead and ask..."

"What?" she questioned, acting like she had no idea what I was talking about.

"You've got that look on your face that tells me that there is something you want to ask. So lets hear it!"

"Alright, it's more of an observation than a question," she states with a shake of her head. "I thought you'd have mad bowling skills but your game was off tonight. Something's bothering you, I can tell... Is it your shoulder? You seem to favor your right side quite noticeably."

"Yeah, well, maybe taking you bowling wasn't one of my brightest ideas." I shrugged. "Injuries comes with the territory in my line of work."

"Okay, and what exactly is your line of work these days? Are you training for another mission? Or have you taken up archery again?"

"You already know the answer to that one; military adviser, I teach martial arts to police and military personnel."

"Still chasing glory and crossing swords with the elite in other words then."

I let that comment pass, but only because I got sidetracked by the TV or more specifically by the sudden outburst of oohs" and "ahhs" as the mostly naked guy started doing mostly naked stuff with the mostly naked chick. Not x-rated, my ass…

"Um… maybe we should turn the volume down justa WEE bit."

"Worried what the neighbors will say? I never knew you were such a prude."

"Aww, come on that's not true," I protested half laughing, half shaking my head incredulously. "You, if anyone, should know that I'm not prude. I'm sure I told you about that time I went streaking across the soccer field in school. That has to count for something."

"Sorry, but that don't impress me much… me being the locals trip club employee and all…"

"Right, I forgot about that, but since you brought it up…. Why do you work there? I mean really… why do you do it?

Shifting uncomfortable on the bed, she made a face and groaned. "I knew you were going to ask about that. Don't go make a big deal out of it. I don't strip or dance or whatever. I serve drinks and I only work a couple of nights a month to cover my bills, that's all."

"Is it by choice? I mean, do you work there because you enjoy it or is it because you can't find anything else?"

"It pays better than flipping burgers at some fast food joint. I do what I have to do, and people can either like it or dislike it I don't care…" she shifted again and turned so that she was lying on her side, looking straight at me.

Her sudden closeness caused my heart to miss a beat for a second. "Fair enough…."

"So, your shoulder…" she said, nudging my foot with hers. "…the truth this time…"

"The truth… well the truth is it was a landmine. No one was killed or anything but me and two other soldiers were banged up pretty badly when our vehicle ran over a landmine… And before you say anything, I knew the risks going in and I was willing to take them."

"You'd do it again," it was a statement more than a question.

"I don't wish it undone, but I would never re-enlist. There is no glory in war, only blood, sweat and tears, and I can vouch for that."

"There's no winner, only casualties," she nodded knowingly.

"If you say 'I told you so' I'm out of here," I threatened with a great, annoyed roll of my eyes at her.

"I wont say anything. I don't think I need to say anything, you already know how I feel on the subject."

"Right and we're back at square one again_. _Can't we go one evening without arguing?!"

"I knew this was a bad idea. I told you this was a bad idea, I told you we shouldn't date. There is just too much history…"

"Alright, so let's not call it a date then. What's wrong with two friends hanging out having fun together?!"

"Well that depends."

"On what?!"

"Whether or not you're in a relationship at the moment."

I stared at her, surprised. "No, I'm not in a relationship, why Ms. Fizwalter? I thought you said you weren't interested?"

"If I'm going to get my ass kicked by some jealous girlfriend I prefer to know about it in advance, that's all… I mean, I'm the local strip club employee you were planning to have a drunken sex orgy with, right?!"

I chuckled and shook my head. "You're something else."

She raised an eyebrow. "Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Definitely… You keep me on my toes, that's for sure."

"No, actually it looks like I'm keeping you in bed at the moment," she smirked and shoved me down against the mattress.

"Oh goodie, is this where the drunken sex orgy begins. "

"It certainly looks that way doesn't it?" She cocked her head to the side as if she was actually considering the idea. "Maybe I should tie you up and break out my cuffs and my whip."

There was that smirk again. Good God, what was she trying to do, seduce me? Not that I needed seducing. A simple "I want you" would have been more than enough.

"Not fair to tease a man like that!," I protested somewhat breathlessly_._

"Who's teasing?!" We'll have to make due without the props, of course… but other than that…. " she trailed off_,_ biting her lip.

"Are you serious?!"

"I don't want a boyfriend or a relationship. We'd be two friends hanging out having fun together, nothing else…. a one time deal…."

"That's not what frien-…."

"Two strangers then. Yeah, that's better. Two strangers having hot nasty sex together… "Hesitantly, she moved to straddle my waist, her skirt hiking up around her hips. "…like how it was in the beginning. You remember don't you?! "

"It's been a while, I might need you to refresh my memory."

"I think I can do that:" With a hand behind my neck, she leaned down, her lips seeking mine in a kiss that left us both wanting more….


	9. reunited

AN: Thanx for the reviews. Due to the glitch of the page I couldn't put up this chapter when I wanted to. But it did give me time to reread the previous chapter and edit a few words here and there. It was never my intention to make a political statement, just a reflective one... =)

**Reunited**

Things happened at a quickening pace after that. The first kiss was followed by another, and another, and another… What started out as tentative explorations quickly turned into hungry, open-mouthed plunder. Each kiss ending when we had to come up for air, and each new one starting before we'd fully caught our breath because the prospect of not kissing seemed so much worse than not breathing.

Somewhere, off in a dim corner of my mind I knew this probably wasn't the best idea.

But damn… every single brush of those lips felt like lightning hitting my body.

I could already feel my self-control slipping…

Her hands were all over me, tugging at my clothes, untucking my shirt, searching for skin. The sensation of her palms against my bare chest combined with the weight of her body pressing me deeper into the mattress made me ache from head to toe, and especially the places in between..

My own hands were just as busy as hers. I didn't dare linger to savor the feel of her skin as I wanted more and I wanted it *now.*

"Are you sure about this?" I breathed as a slid my hands up under her skirt, finding the soft roundness of her buttocks and getting a glimpse of a tattoo on lower back.

" Mmmm-hmmmm." She hummed against my neck slowly kissing her way down towards my chest.

"Are you sure you are sure?" I asked again, not wanting her to have regrets later.

This time she didn't answer with words, instead she rose to her knees and pulled her tank top off, revealing an impressive pair of breasts held in check by a lacy bra.

Damn, this was now officially the most exciting thing that had happened to me in months…

……………

I woke up several hours later and found myself snuggled up to a warm body in a cold bed. Pleasantly surprised by the fact I wasn't alone, I took a moment to just lay there and watch her sleep. Part of me had half expected her to be gone by the time I woke up.

Who would have guessed she'd end up staying the night? Not me that's for sure, but then again this whole thing had been unexpected, to say the least. Sex had not been a part of my plan when I asked her out. The last thing I'd expected was to partake in such activities. Her advances had surprised the hell out of me... but it had been a welcome surprise… .not to mention incredible and quite possible the best sex I have ever had.

Wait a second. The best sex… ever? Where did that come from? Oh man, I better wipe that thought away quickly. No need to get carried away here… Marian had been very clear about the rules of this and I should know better then to get myself all worked up about it.

I definitely had no problems with sexing her up again if she wanted me to. I could feel that oh-so familiar stirring in my groin just thinking about it.

Damn her for being so irresistible…

.

…….

TO: "Much", d0nuts07(at)yahoo(dot)com

FROM: "R. Locksley", sherwoodsfinest(at)

SUBJECT: Rise and shine

March 6

Today, at 5.30 in the morning I woke up after the best night's sleep I could ever remember having.

I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing up at this early hour but lets not focus on that just yet… Remember that hot date I told you about? Let's just say I got lucky last night…

Yes, I'm talking about S-E-X here -or, to be more specific, a good old fashioned one night stand with a little twist. The twist being a sense of déjà vu since Marian and I are hardly strangers to each other. Ok, so maybe it was more of a one-time-thing between friends rather than a one night stand but still equally exciting none the less.

Our bodies may have history together, but I swear when we undressed in front of each other it was as though we had never done it before. Definitely a top ten on my list of most memorable experiences… Let's just say there were certain factors involved here that sort of made it extra spectacular (for me at least).

For starters, an unusual high level of raging hormones... It had been a really long time, a really, really, really long time for me (and maybe for her too).

The second factor to take into consideration: The dessert that is my love life… It had been REALLY long time.

And last but not the least… Have I mentioned it had been a really long time?

Oh well, you get the picture. No wonder I woke up in the best mood ever this morning….

Anyway, I just wanted to fill you in on what's going on. I'm going to crawl back into bed now so that I'm there when she wakes up. There's nothing like a good morning nookie session to really start your day.

TO: "R. Locksley", sherwoodsfinest(at)msn(dot)com  
FROM: "Much", d0nuts07(at)yahoo(dot)com  
SUBJECT: Early mornings have their charm  
March 6

Congratulations, man!

I'm not Much so I can't speak for him (yes, I hijacked his email account again)

but I for one think its great you are finally getting some action.

Be happy with your single status and have some fun with the girls!

That's what I would have done in your shoes.

Don't tell my girlfriend that though, or I'll end up sleeping on the couch AGAIN.

Don't ask. Let's just say my morning nookie privileges have been suspended for an indefinite period of time…

Oh well, at least one of us is getting some luv.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

I'll let Much know you left him an email.

/Carter

….

I woke up again about an hour or so later only to find Marian (fully dressed) sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me. Intrigued I noticed how different she looked in the morning light. Gone was my playful carefree lover from the night before. Her eyes were no longer twinkling with mischief and lust as they had been just a few hours ago. Instead they were clouded with confusion and uncertainty.

"Everything okay?" I croaked, silently cursing my raspy morning voice.

She flinched and grimaced when she realized she had been caught staring. "Didn't know you were awake. Everything is fine…"

"You sure because I'm sensing a bit of awkwardness here. Should we clear the air. Do we need to have a talk or something?" I suggested with a yawn and sat up to stretch the sleep out of my muscles.

"Actually, I have a few things I need to tell you…."

"Okay, but do you have to do it so far away?" I asked and held up the sheet, inviting her to join me.

"No, I guess not," she replied and scooted a little closer. "This is hard, Robin. I don't know where to begin."

"Just talk to me…I won't bite, I promise…" Rolling onto my side and propping my head up on one elbow so I could look at her. "Okay, let me help you out. How about we start with a question and then go from there?! How about you tell me how long has it been since the last time you had sex…"

With a quiet huff, she looked up towards the ceiling. "Isn't that kind of a personal question?"

"Uhm, hello! I'm lying here naked. It can't get more personal than this!"

"You're right," she sighed. "It's been a long time, okay?"

"How long is long?"

"Little over one year. "

I looked at her curiously, wondering if she was finally opening up. "That IS long… Did you join a convent or something?"

"Not exactly." She shook her head smirking.

"Then what? Because I'm sure you've had opportunities."

"I spent the better half of last year being big as a whale. Nothing kills the sex drive faster than morning sickness and backaches trust me on that one… "

Her answer came out so casually that it took me a few seconds to grip the meaning. When I realized what exactly she had just said I gulped and gave her the classic wide-eyed, openmouthed stare.

"Why so surprised. You guessed it from the start didn't you?!" She muttered nervously, her cheeks turning paler than the sheet we had wrapped around us.

"S-so it's true t-then? You really were… uhm… pregnant?" I stuttered, floored by her sudden admission. There was a big difference between guessing and knowing for sure! "B-but what happened, did something go wrong with your pregnancy?"

Nodding slowly she pushed herself up to a sitting position without meeting my questioning gaze. "You know that tattoo you asked me about, the new one I have on my lower back…" she said and shakily lifted the hem of her t-shirt. " You said it looked like a fairy and you wanted to know what it meant, remember?! You can barely see the wings but it's an angel, a guardian angel. And the letters… N.F. is my sisters initials…."

"I figured that much," I mumbled, suddenly sensing what was about to come. " And I know K.F is your mother but what does T.C. stand for?" I asked cautiously, as I reached out to trace the inked letters on her skin with my fingers.

.

She shuddered underneath my touch or maybe it was the nature of the question that had her shaking…

"' T.C. is…. T.C is for the baby that only lived for an hour and a half."


	10. morning after

AN:Sorry guys, I made a continuity error in the previous chapter. I wrote that Allan hijacked Much's email account but forgot that Allan is suppose to be Marians friend in this story. Robin and Allan just met and their only connection is through Marian. *goes back to edit* For the sake of this story let's pretend it was Carter who wrote that email which makes more sense since I have tried to established that Much, Carter and Robin spent time in the middle east together and has a friendship that goes way back…

I have a memory span of a goldfish *sigh*  
...speaking of which, I do believe the name I used for Marians sister in my previous story was Nicole...

Keep the reviews coming, constructive feedback kicks ass! =)

**Morning after**

TO: "R. Locksley" sherwoodsfinest(at)msn(dot)com  
FROM: "Much", d0nuts07(at)yahoo(dot)com  
SUBJECT: RE: Rise and shine  
March 6

One-night-stand, my ass…

Don't come running to me when this backfires!

Oh, and don't pay attention to Carter! He thinks he's so clever hacking my email account but the last laugh is on me. I'm submitting his emails to gay porn subscriptions as we speak…

Besides what does Carter know about playing the field?! He's been dating the same girl for ages…. which reminds me, you never did tell me what Paula thought about the engagement present we bought them. I still say you should have gone for the blender. You can never have to many kitchen gadgets….

/M

………………………………………………………..

TO: "Much" d0nuts07(at)yahoo(dot)com  
FROM: "R. Locksley" sherwoodsfinest(at)msn(dot)com  
SUBJECT: RE: RE: Rise and shine  
March 6

Again thanks for the vote of confidence…

For your information she was the one propositioning me not the other way around. But you're right, she has me wrapped at her mercy around her little finger, and I eagerly jump through any hoop at her slightest beckoning.

I'm even considering letting her drag me to church this morning. Apparently there is a ghost to face and a grave to visit… or something to that extent…

Have to go now… Marian just got out of the shower and I don't want her to catch me on the computer.

I'll call you later.

/Robin

……………….

The night's blanket of fog had yet to burn off, and the sun was only a pale glow through the mists as Marian steered the car towards the north exit out of the city.

Neither one of us spoke much for the first few minutes of the drive. Finally, though, Marian broke the silence.

"The baby - was yours," she confessed in a voice barely above a whisper. "I know that it makes little difference now, but I wanted you to know."

"Gee, thanks for filling me in … A little too late, don't you think? " I made a sound halfway between a laugh of disbelief and a snort. It was the sound of utter confusion and mounting anger. It was a good thing she was driving because I really think I would have wrecked the car. Thoughts were flooding my mind, hundred and thousands of them… but only one remained clear - MINE. The child had been mine. It's not like I hadn't guessed that all along but I had never really let myself think in those terms before…

"I didn't know how to tell you… I'm sorry Robin." She said, slowing the car down preparing to take the exit that was coming up.

"You didn't even try. Did you? You carried a baby...our baby...for nine months and you never once tried to contact me."

"Six months… " She corrected me. "I only carried her for six month. She was born eleven weeks premature, that's why she didn't make it… Her lungs were underdeveloped and she couldn't survive outside my body. …"

"She?" My heart clenched painfully at the image her words created in my head.

"Yes, it was a girl. She was beautiful - in a wrinkly red sort of way. And so small he could almost fit in one hand."

"All I want to know is why.... Why did you think I'd want you to go through something like this alone? Did you honestly think I wouldn't care? That I wouldn't want to be involved... "

"Remember the day we broke up?," she asked the question without looking at me. "I was going to tell you that weekend but… "

"..you never got around to it…" I closed my eyes. "Right, I remember. You showed up for a surprise visit even though I had specifically told you to wait another week."

"I flew into town for our third month anniversary. I don't know who got the biggest surprise, me or you?!" she said, her voice cracking.

"Oh come on, you make it sound like you found me with another woman or something. It wasn't nearly that dramatic."

"I found you in uniform with your bags packed by the door."

"I had weeks of combat training ahead of me, there was still plenty of time… I wanted to tell you in person. I would have told you in person, if you had only stayed put for one more week like I asked you to."

She drew a deep breath and sat a bit straighter. "Yeah well , it wouldn't have made a difference. Things just weren't working out between us. I thought I did you a favor. I gave you the easy way out. "

"Oh, you gave ME the easy way out? It sounds more like you TOOK the easy way out, if you ask me."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you… " Clenching her fingers around the steering wheel, she glared at me with aggravation. "…and quite frankly I don't think your opinion is worth squat right now:" she declared with such venom that I couldn't help but winced at it.

The sane, calm, logical part of my brain knew that whatever agony I was feeling right at this point was only a pale shadow compared to the pain Marian must have felt over the last couple of months. But the emotional part of me was having a hard time getting over the feelings of hurt and betrayal.

I'm sure it must be some sort of cardinal sin to fight on holy ground but it couldn't be helped. By the time Marian pulled the car into the visitors parking lot outside the St. Nicolaus Cathedral we were in the middle of a full fledge argument.

I think my anger was justified but at the same time I think I could have handled it better. Verbally assaulting her probably wasn't the best way to go about it. Marian was tensed to the point where it looked like she was ready to bolt…which is exactly what she did. Slamming the car door with all her might she stomped off without another word.

I let her go because… uhm… frankly it was safer that way. She wasn't the only one with a short fuse. We both needed time to cool off. Besides I wasn't sure my legs would carry me if decided to go after her. This morning had shaken me up more than I cared to admit. It's often said that no one should have to outlive their own child… If my gut feeling was to be trusted, the roughest and most heart wrenching part was yet to come…


	11. truth be told

_A/N: this chapter is super short and you're all gonna hate me for the cliffie at the end..._

**TRUTH BE TOLD**

**Chapter 11**

I think I watched one too many horror movies when I was growing up or something because when I was a child I was deathly afraid of graveyards and would never go anywhere near one. My fear passed with time though and now I can't help but find them oddly fascinating in a dark depressing sort of way.

Absentmindedly reading the engraved inscriptions, I slowly made my way through the maze of grave sites. There were so many names, so many lost souls, so many graves. Row after row gravestones stood as mute testimony to those who slept below. I was walking in circles, aimlessly, not even sure what I was looking for. I didn't even have a full name to go after, just the initials, the last name and a general idea of the date of death…

It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It probably would have taken me hours to find the right grave if I hadn't caught sight of Marian.

Actually, I heard her before I saw her. My ears picked up a murmuring, barely a vibration, but I recognized the pitch and the frequency, the cadence of the voice. Following the sound I walked around the corner of a hideously large obelisk and saw a familiar figure sitting in the grass, legs crossed, in front of a small heart-shaped stone of gray marble.

She didn't acknowledge me as I approached her. Her face was down, and her shoulders were drawn together and she was talking to herself …or more likely to the grave… Her voice low and soft, but not so low he could not hear it.

"…. Sorry that I didn't come sooner, but it's been a way busy week, Your daddy is in town. Hard to believe, but yep he is here…and he knows about you….. I have spent all morning wondering if it was something he needed to hear or just something I needed to say and I still don't have a good answer . But hey at least now he can visit you…"

Marian paused and I saw her gently run her hand over the words etched in the small stone in front of her, "Tilda Nicola-Fizwalter, she read aloud as her fingers traced the letters.

"Mommy loves you. I know that you're not coming back…. But I'm always going to be thinking about you. How could I not? You're a part of me, and we'll always have that connection, no matter wh-…"

Marian froze and trailed off mid sentence as she suddenly became aware of the strange shaped shadow on the grass in front of her. Moving her purse to cover the stone she slowly turned to face me.

"Robin." Her voice broke into a surprised crack, and began ratcheting up in pitch. "How long have you been standing there?

"Long enough…" I said softly, then paused to swallow a lump in my throat. "… Can I, uh, sit down?"

At her brief nod, I settled down across from her.

"Tell me about her, " I requested, sensing her need to share and remember.

She hesitated looking back down at her hands picking tufts of grass.. "What do you want to know?" she asked carefully.

"Everything… I want to know everything I missed out on, but first, I'd like to read the inscription… If you don't mind?!" I said, gesturing vaguely at the now only partly visible heart shaped grave stone between us.

"Oh, sorry," she whispered. My eyes followed her hands as she shakily pulled the purse off of the grave.

Curiously I moved closer to see what she had uncovered, and nearly stopped breathing.

"Marian?" I asked, in confusion.

"I'm so sorry Robin. You shouldn't have to find out this way…"

……………………..


	12. truth be told part II

An: Well, thanks so much for taking the time to review! I'm so glad you've been enjoying it. And a new update is up... This is the last chapter, with an Epilogue coming up later....

* * *

_"I'm so sorry Robin. You shouldn't have to find out this way…"_

_---------------------_

_Tilda Nicola Fitzwalter_

_2008-06-16_

_Forgotten to the world she may be,_

_But dear to our memory she will forever be._

_Sadly Missed By Mother and Brother._

_----------------------_

I stared at the words engraved in the stone. "Brother? You have a son, an older child? Another one of your white little lies, eh Marian" I asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

"Yes, I have a son…". She reached in her purse and pulled out a rather blurry dog-eared photograph. "…WE have a son…. "

"Twins?" I asked completely and utterly stunned as I stared at what appeared to be a picture of two newborn babies cuddling together in a shared incubator.

Marian nodded. "Fraternal twins. This is the only photo I have of both of them together."

"Twins?!" I repeated my eyes widened slowly, disbelievingly, as the meaning of the word sank in.

"Yes. Look how tiny they were. Tilda came first. Weighing less than 2 pounds, she is the absolutely the smallest thing I've ever seen.. She had to struggle with sever breathing issues while her brother, 2 pounds 3 ounces, was born perfectly healthy… or as healthy as a premature baby can be.." she explained with a sad little smile.

"But he made it, didn't he?!… the boy… the other baby?!… Please don't tell me there is another grave for me to visit. I refuse to believe God would be that cruel." I whispered, almost afraid of the answer.

"He's doing fine. Our baby boy is alive and kicking… or should I say crawling. That's his new favorite hobby." She smiled, tears brimming in her eyes.

"I want to meet him."

"You already have."

"I have? But...when, how?" My brows went up, eyes widening a little. "Oh, that day in the studio… You brought him to work didn't you?!"

"Yes, I often do. I have an understanding boss. Daycare is expensive."

"Where is he now? You HAVE to let me see him."

"Baby Alexander is with Allan and Annie.. They are lifesavers, always babysitting when I have to work weekends. I'll take you there. Just give me a minute to say goodbye to my angel here."

Marian's hand was still on the headstone like it was glued there. And suddenly I remembered the one sided conversation I had interrupted just minutes ago.

"Of course…Sorry… Do you want me to leave and give you some privacy? "

"No, stay. You have every right to be here," she said, reaching for my hand. "I know it can't be healthy visiting this place as often as I do but it's so hard to let go, Robin. I can't stand the thought of her being here all alone."

Pulling her into my arms I tried to give her a reassuring hug. "She's not alone. You can stop worrying about that... I would have come sooner if only I had known…"


	13. The end

_**AN: I hope you'll enjoy the final chapter. Please review with your thoughts on the ending.**_

_**Thank you for reading and especially thank you to those who reviewed. Its much appreciated.**__** You guys rock.**_

**Epilogue**

(AN: there has been a slight change in point of view)

"Oh, he is perfect!!" Those were the words my father said the first time he held me in his arms. He also told my mom that a taste of heaven only happens once in a blue moon. And when it does, you hold on to it… And that's precisely what he did. He picked me up out of my crib and cradled me against his chest and held on to me for the longest time. At least that's what my mother tells me. I was too young to remember.

The earliest memory I can recall is being seated on my daddy's shoulders, my hands grasping his ears and his hands holding my ankles. The memory is faded, foggy on the sides as if it were a dream though I know that it was not. The incident I recall happened while we were stranded in a sea of people at a snowed-in airport. The departure hall was loud and noisy with lots of curious strangers but I was never afraid because I felt so secure and safe sitting there on his shoulders. I recall looking down as he spoke to me, his calm and steady voice reassuring me that I was alright and no one would harm me. Apparently I handled the commotion with serenity and ease. I am told I stuck my thumb into my mouth, closed my eyes and rested my cheek on top of my fathers head. I am also told that the curious onlookers went, 'awwwww'.

Another really vivid memory is that of the birth of my baby brother Eddie. I was three years old when he was born and I got to go to the hospital and pet him while he was sleeping. He was the ugliest baby he had ever seen, small like a puppy, but wrinkly like an elephant. But my parents seemed to love him anyway and I was jealous from day one...

It took me a few years or so to figure out that it wasn't so bad to be a big brother after all. By then another baby boy (Robert) had made his grand entrance into our lives. Suddenly I had not one but two little brothers to bully and tease. At this point I was old enough to realize that no matter how big our family got, there would always be a special bond between me and my parents. If it wasn't for ME mom and dad might never have found their way back together again… Oh well, "ME" and thousands of dollars worth of couples counseling. Daddy say's it was the best investment he ever did.

Thinking back I don't know how they did it. Constantly compromising, juggling schedules and rearranging priorities. They split the responsibility of raising us kids pretty fairly. One week we were being lugged around the country with Daddy on one of his workshops and the next we were on the set of some photo shot with Mom. Throughout the first five years of my life they probably spent more time apart than they did together. But there was never any doubt how important 'family' was to them.

Not to say they never have their disagreements, cause they do. Every once in a while my dad will throw a tantrum and raise his voice or slam a few doors or something and my mom will answer by throwing pots and pans and pieces of furniture after him, but no matter how much they argue, they never go to bed angry.

And they 'make-up' passionately…. hence our ever growing family. Mom is pregnant for the FOURTH time as we speak. Auntie Djaq says mom pops out babies like a pez dispenser. Dad says children are blessings from God and to be a parent is one of the greatest blessings God has ever given to him.

THE END


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